


An Eternal Life with You

by fallenrose24



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 08:10:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallenrose24/pseuds/fallenrose24
Summary: Mòrag becomes upset by a book she picks up in Torigoth as it makes her question how fair it is for her to love an immortal Blade.





	An Eternal Life with You

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers for this one. I should really be writing an exam, but nope! This turned into a kinda plot-less talk-a-thon, but it's a topic that always intrigued me about the Mòrag-Brighid relationship. Knowing you will outlive the person you love is no easy burden to bear.
> 
> If it's not obvious, the paragraphs in full italics are book passages.

Brighid senses her frustration boil over. A moment later, a book is slammed shut and is tossed to the ground as Mὸrag storms out of the room.

The Blade stares after her, trying to piece together the sudden change in mood. They had been taking a quiet afternoon to themselves. The rest of their companions were off running errands for the various denizens of Torigoth, but they had politely declined and headed to their Titan Warship under the guise of helping the soldiers at the Base. In actuality, Mὸrag had simply wanted a few hours of peace and quiet to continue reading a book she had picked up in the marketplace earlier. Everything seemed fine as they calmly read their own novels beside one another in Mὸrag’s quarters on the ship, but then…

Brighid stands and makes her way over the fallen book. Turning it over, she glances at the cover and her brow furrows at the odd title.

_The Immortal Sin_

With the book clutched between her burning fingers, she walks out of the room in search of her Driver. It doesn’t take long for her to spot Mὸrag. While they didn’t often travel on this ship together, she does know that the Ardainian favors secluded outlooks on any vessel they’ve been on. There’s quite the grand deck along the sides of this particular ship and she knows Mὸrag will choose the one facing out over the Cloud Sea.

And there she is.

Brighid takes in the woman’s stiff appearance as she saunters toward her. White-gloved hands are choking the life out of the deck railing. Her gaze is tuned directly ahead and, while her expression appears calm, Brighid can see the slight tension in her shoulders. Something in that book has gotten under her skin.

She places a warm hand over one of Mὸrag’s, hiding a smile at the woman’s small jump. “You left rather suddenly. Are you alright?”

Mὸrag doesn’t turn to face her. “Yes, I’m fine. I just needed a bit of fresh air.”

“Is that so?” The Blade rests the discarded book against the railing in front of her. “I thought it might have something to do with this.”

Mὸrag only glances at the book for a second before turning away. “It wasn’t a good read, after all.”

“Really? You seemed rather taken by it when we were browsing that little book shop earlier. What was it about?”

“It’s a fantasy tale of a Gormotti man who finds the key to immortality.”

Brighid frowns. “Seems like a rather common plot. Why did that upset you?”

Mὸrag sighs. “Are you really not going to let this go?”

“Are you?”

Point taken.

“It’s not so much the plot that bothered me.” Mὸrag’s grip on the railing tightens. “The tale is as you might expect. That man longs to extend his life and he succeeds, but the folly of his choice is the actual focus. He is forced to watch his family die, his friends… all those he held dear eventually leave him in the world alone.”

Brighid stares at her Driver for a moment, taking in her rather solemn expression. “And you find it upsetting that eternal life doesn’t necessarily bring happiness? Were you hoping to seek immortality?”

“What? Of course not!” Mὸrag could almost laugh at the ridiculous notion, though she knows Brighid is simply trying to lighten her mood. “My life only has meaning because it’s finite. If I’m only alive for so long, I should make the most of the days I have and treasure those who are a part of them. If I were to extend that life… well, I imagine I would view things quite differently.”

The Blade crosses her arms and tilts her head curiously. “That’s an interesting way of looking at it. I suppose the same is true for me. My life is eternal, but the time I have with each of my Drivers is limited. Blades strive to form as many memories as we can with our Driver’s… and I suppose we only do that _because_ our time together is short.”

Mὸrag sighs. “Our time is limited, but you will still carryon…”

Sensing that this new direction in their conversation was upsetting the Ardainian even further, Brighid tapped the cover of the book. “So, this man in your book…”

“He falls in love. It’s foolish, really.”

That was not what she expected. “I assume she eventually dies.”

“Yes…” Mὸrag slips her hand out of Brighid’s grasp and takes the book. “There’s a particular passage about his feeling of loss…”

“Show me.”

The Inquisitor flips to the page and hands the book back to her Blade without a word. Brighid’s hidden gaze pours over the page, searching for the part that could have possibly agitated the woman so thoroughly. It stands out like a sore thumb.

_He slams his fits against the rain soaked bricks. The pain hardly resonates as he loses the will to stand. What a fool he had been._

_“I knew this day would come and still I loved you.” His voice is broken by tears. “Counted years with you by my side and now I’m left with an eternity of longing for your return. How could I ever think that would be worthwhile? If only time would turn back… I would not make the same mistake… I would gladly live my endless life without you rather than have you for such transience and survive you with such pain in my heart.”_

Mὸrag startles at the sound of the book slamming shut, but her eyes widen even further as she catches sight of Brighid lighting the novel aflame.

“ _Brighid!”_

The Blade scoffs and shakes the embers off her hand to the Cloud Sea below. “You shouldn’t read such utter trash, Lady Mὸrag.”

“You…” The look of disgust on her Blade’s face gives her pause. “You don’t agree?”

“What?” That was unexpected.

“The man in that story… he was cursed with an eternal life. He pursued it, yes, but the consequences he faced were no different than the ones you do.”

Brighid’s eyes widened as she touches a hand to her Core Crystal. “Because I, too, am immortal?”

“Indeed.” Mὸrag hangs her head. “That man… everything he wanted in life, he eventually lost because he was the only piece of permanence.”

“I’m not quite sure what that has to do with me?”

“How can you not?” The Inquisitor turns and stares at her Blade in disbelief. “You form a bond with people every time you’re reawakened, but you eventually lose them all. Over and over again.”

“But I don’t actually remember them.”

“Don’t you? Isn’t that why you keep that journal? Do you ever truly forget?”

Brighid takes a step back. “Lady Mὸrag…”

“The pain that man suffered… he eventually reached a breaking point when the person he lost was one he loved with all his heart.”

Realization sweeps over her so suddenly she almost loses her breath. She immediately steps closer, taking her Driver’s hands in both of hers.

“Is that what you think will happen to me?”

Mὸrag squeezes her eyes shut. “Your Drivers in the past… they’ve been rulers of Mor Ardain… Emperors who were expected to sire heirs. There was no chance of there being love shared between you. But now… now you’re _my_ Blade and I… I couldn’t read any further… not after it became clear to me just how selfish I’ve been.”

“Lady Mὸrag, _please_ …”

“I can’t bear the idea that you would grow to resent me.”

“I would never…”

“It’s our fate, is it not? We’re destined to part. There will come a day when I die and leave you in this world.”

Brighid reaches a hand up and cups her Driver’s cheek. “On that day, I _too_ , will die. You _know_ that.”

Mὸrag takes the hand from her face and holds it tightly. “But you’ll return – someone will reawaken you and I won’t be there. I will never know what it’s like to exist in a world without you, but you… you’ll be left to the same fate as the man in that book.”

“But I… I won’t remember you.”

Mὸrag chokes on a silent sob. “And I’m not sure what is a worse fate. Would it be harder to live with memories of a love you’ve lost or to know you once loved so deeply, but have been forced to forget them?”

Brighid feels her heart crack.

“I suppose I’m being rather presumptuous about the depths of your feelings for me…”

She’s cutoff by the firm press of Brighid’s lips against hers. Burning fists grip the high collar of her uniform to keep her close even when the kiss is finally broken.

“Don’t you _ever_ question how much I love you.”

Mὸrag sighs and leans forward to press their foreheads together. “I’m sorry. I know what you feel for me is true and unconditional, but that’s exactly my point. Wouldn’t it be easier for you in your next life if you _didn’t_ feel this way about me? That man resented his love because of the pain it brought him...”

“That’s not love, Lady Mὸrag.”

The Ardainian steps back and takes in the determine furrow of her Blade’s brow.

“What that book was telling you was utter nonsense.” She tightens her grip on the collar of the woman’s uniform. “Real love… it doesn’t matter how long it lasts. You just said that your life only has meaning because it’s finite. Isn’t that true for us, as well?”

“I don’t follow…”

“The time I have with you is precious to me.” She lifts a hand to Mὸrag’s face again. “This life we have together… it’s one we share. Eventually, you’ll die – that’s true – but I’ll be there, beside you. We will go together, like we always do. When I reawaken… that won’t be _me_. That won’t be the version of me who loves you… the version _you_ love.”

She frowns as Mὸrag’s eyes fill with tears at the prospect and kisses her softly. “In those moments between you closing your eyes for good and me returning to my Core Crystal… I know those will be the most painful moments of any life I’ve lived. I have never loved a Driver so completely, but I will gladly experience that pain for you. I would rather endure your loss for every rebirth I have before me, then to go my entire life never experiencing the depth of your heart.”

Mὸrag pulls her into a tight embrace.

“ _That_ is what actual love is, Lady Mὸrag. Not that trash heap of a novel I burned to ashes.”

A soft laugh shakes her frame as she strokes the exposed skin of Brighid’s back. “You would make that sacrifice for me?”

The Blade smiles and tightens her arms around the woman. “Would you, if you were in my place?”

“Without a doubt.”

She pulls back and brushes their noses together. “Then you already understand.”

Mὸrag sighs as she leans in for another kiss, relishing in the warm feel of her Blade’s lips.

“I suppose I’ll never know if that Gormotti ever came to the same conclusion as you.”

Brighid smiles sheepishly. “I may have overreacted…”

“It’s quite alright.” Mὸrag strokes a gloved hand over her soft cheek. “Are you sure about this?”

The Blade nods. “I want these moments with you, Lady Mὸrag. I won’t waste my current life worrying about how my future selves will feel. They’re not _me_.”

“You’ll still feel this way even when I lose the battle you keep pretending to fight?”

Her brow furrows. “I beg your pardon?”

“As a Blade, you’ll remain as you are. Your appearance never changes.” Mὸrag can’t help but chuckle. “Despite that, you spend all this time and effort lathering your skin with de-aging creams to ward off wrinkles you’ll never get. I, on the other hand, won’t be nearly so lucky – as you so often point out. We’ll be quite the pair to behold in a few decades.”

Brighid laughs and cups her Driver’s chin. “I might try to preserve your youth as long as I can, but when those wrinkles do come, they will be our story written on your skin. I will love every line.”

Amber eyes widen and fill with warmth. “My, you are quite the poet when you choose to be, Brighid.”

“Well, you can’t always be the one spouting grandiose declarations of love.”

Mὸrag sighs contently and pulls the woman back in for another tight hug. “Thank you, Brighid, for understanding me as well as you do.”

Brighid hums in return and presses a gentle kiss against the crook of her neck. “May I ask you something?”

The Adrainian pulls back just enough so Brighid can see her face and nods.

“Why now? We became intimate years ago and yet… now you’re concerned with my immortality?”

Mὸrag sighs and backs away completely. She turns her back to Brighid and grips the deck railing again with both fists.

“I would be lying if I said these thoughts only just entered my mind. Today is one of the rare days we’ve had a chance to pause and I could assess our recent choices. That book merely articulated what I had been contemplating for quite some time.” She glances over her shoulder at Brighid for a brief moment. “When His Majesty took the throne, I volunteered to be his shield. Being Special Inquisitor has always come with risk, but never anything too severe. His Majesty is well liked and the threat from the anti-imperialist faction is usually well handled by the guards at the Palace. Despite those who resent my position, most view me rather favorably or are too intimidated by our strength to conceive of attacking me. But now…”

She shakes her head solemnly.

“Now, we’re following a dream – pursuing Elysium, which may not even exist. Each day we are either chasing after or being hunted by some of the strongest Blades in the history of Alrest. Death is a more likely circumstance. We’ve already come close a number of times.”

Brighid steps up beside her. “You’re worried our time will be cut short?”

“Indeed. Our life in Mor Ardain would have been long, but now? Well, I suppose I’ve started to question how long our life together needs to be to be worth you feeling this pain of loss for eternity.”

 “I don’t think we can measure worth in days, Lady Mὸrag. This life we have together became worth any future pain I might feel the moment you first kissed me.”

The Inquisitor laughs lightly. “There you go again with that poetry… you know how to charm a woman well, Brighid.”

“I’ve learned from the best.” Their shoulders bump as the Blade sways into her playfully. “Back to your point, though… a death while in pursuit of saving the world seems like a rather fitting end for the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain, don’t you think?”

“Honestly? I would prefer a quiet, anticlimactic ending with you by my side.”

“Me too.”

The Ardainian’s heart swells. “Then I suppose the only thing for us to do is survive this ordeal.”

Brighid places a hand over hears on the railing. “I’m with you. Always.”

Mὸrag pulls her in for a kiss and smiles at the slight moan that vibrates against her lips. She pulls back with a touch of mirth coating her gaze.

“Well, now that I’ve wasted much of our afternoon with my insecurities, shall we see if the others are back?”

Brighid hums in thought. “I have a feeling they won’t be back until the evening… which leaves us with a few more hours to ourselves.”

Mὸrag presses a kiss to her cheek. “And how would like to spend that time?”

“We could return to the shops and I could replace your book if you’d like?”

Her lips trail down toward Brighid’s neck. “Don’t bother. I have a feeling the ending couldn’t possibly live up to the one you’ve woven for me today.”

Blue arms wrap around broad shoulders and the Blade lets out a laugh as strong arms squeeze against her waist. “Then I suggest we return to your room and make the most of this finite life of ours.”

Mὸrag lifts her, grinning as burning legs wrap clumsily around her armored waist. She runs quickly back through the halls of the ship, paying no mind to the few guards that startle as they pass by.

Her heart feels lighter than it has in years.


End file.
